Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.04.2006, Blaðsíða 30

Heady Days in Austin, Texas
Deep thoughts from Jakobínarína on the festival that got record contracts from suits
by sindri eldon photo by sigurjón
The South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas is
now the American music industry hotspot for signing the next
media darling. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Shins, Clap Your
Hands Say Yeah, any range of four-star pop have broken in at
SxSW. This year, six Icelanders under 17 broke in with their
second festival-stealing performance of the year. As reported by
Rolling Stone magazine, among many others, Jakobínarína had
absolute star power. Sindri Eldon met with cold and confused
Gunnar Ragnarsson and Sigurður Möller Sívertsen of Jako-
bínarína days after the festival and found out... very, very little.
(Sigurður’s phone rings and he answers. Gunnar audibly rear-
ranges about a pint of phlegm in his throat.)
/// That was impressive. What have you been doing lately? I
heard from someone that you were suffering from exhaustion.
Is that just a crazy rumour?
(Gunnar laughs.) Gunnar: Where did you hear that?
/// Uh...I don’t remember. I just heard it from someone the
other day. So that’s bullshit?
Gunnar: Yeah, probably... I didn’t go to school the day after we
got back because I stayed up all night watching 24 (popular TV
show starring Kiefer Sutherland).
/// Oh god. That’s awesome.
Gunnar: I just slept all day, but it was jet lag, I think.
/// Okay. So how was Texas? Or should we maybe wait until
Siggi’s done on the phone?
Gunnar: Uh... (Waits a moment, but Siggi doesn’t get off
phone.) It was great. Yeah, it was awesome, really cool.
/// Really? It wasn’t weird or anything?
Gunnar: The food was incredibly disgusting, as in absolutely
horrifyingly bad. Other than that, everything went really well.
We basically just spent a lot of time in the house and shopping
and stuff... and then we played and checked out some other
bands.
/// Uh-huh. So you were like total rock stars, hanging out in
your hotel room? Or wait, did you even stay at a hotel?
Gunnar: What? No, um, we stayed at some house with like 15
people.
/// I thought there were only six of you. Did you get like a
brass section or something?
Gunnar: No, it was the guys from 12 Tónar (local record label
and store), Þórir (musician), Þórir’s wife and Þórir’s band.
/// Wow.
(awkward silence)
/// So Texas wasn’t weird or anything?
Gunnar: Um, well, Austin is kind of the arty, Democrat town
– or no, wait, city – in Texas, so it didn’t really feel like we were
actually in Texas. Everyone we met was constantly rambling on
about how terrible Bush is and stuff. I think Austin is consid-
ered the weird town in Texas, but to us it was pretty normal
– except for the food. I just can’t describe to you in words how
insanely bad the food was.
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